


Redemption

by lilpochi



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Pokemon Journey, Self-Reflection, Spiritual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 09:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3805453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilpochi/pseuds/lilpochi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle on Cerise Island, Yellow's words leave a deep mark in the young dragon trainer's heart and soul. Join Lance as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and the path to redemption. Lance-centric story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon Special nor any of its characters! I only own the story!

“Lance!” A determined and young eleven-year old youth declared, “I’m coming!”

The child’s opponent sneered as he saw the child charge towards him, “Mmm... so now you can fly?” He cackled at the pathetic attempt. There was no way a child could defeat someone as experienced in Pokemon battling as him. He shook his head at the kid, “Well, it still won’t be enough!” He declared, “Gyarados! Dragonair!” He cried out and turned to the kid once more.

The man’s eyes were full of determination and conviction. He truly believed with all of his heart that he was right. No one would convince him, especially not this child.

“Humans are the enemy of Pokemon! In order to eliminate them...” Lance tried to explain unconsciously hoping the child would agree with him, “I must have the power of that Pokemon!!”

The blond child shook their head at him, “You’re wrong! Humans and Pokemon are partners!!” They declared with conviction, “I will protect  **both** our worlds!”

‘ _Is that how it’s going to be?’_ Lance shook his head at the kid. It was a shame really. To dispose of someone with so much talent, talent that was especially matched his own. Well, it was the kid’s choice to be destroyed. The choice to stand with humanity.

“DESTROY THEM!” He shouted as he gave the orders to his Pokemon.

“NO!” The child defied as they led their Pokemon to counterattack their opponent.

Both of their teams were evenly matched as attack after attack and defense after defense were met with much destruction.

“ICE BEAM!”

“HYPER BEAM!”

“FALL! SLAM!”

“DEFENSE CURL!”

“Heh...” The man chuckled both out of taunting and amusement, “How long can this battle of shields last?”

The child struggled to get through to him, “Until... you... see the  **truth!** ” They declared, hoping their words reached out to him.

“In minutes...” The man paid no attention to the child’s words, “the legendary Pokemon will have devoured all this energy! And then...” Lance started to get excited thinking about his plans to destroy mankind, “with a single flap of its wings... It will render all the troops that we’ve sent into every land under its absolute control! And  **I** will control  **it** !!” He cackled maniacally.

Lance could almost feel it. His dreams were coming into fruition, “We’re almost there!” He grinned as he turned to his most loyal Pokemon, “I can see it now, Dragonite!!”

“The magnificent new world that we will create! A world for Pokemon alone—“

Then Lance turned to the child with an evil look in his eye, “Cleansed of humans!” He aimed his Pokemon’s attack towards the child but it barely missed them. As the child tried to attack him, Lance sneered as his Aerodactyl completely fought off the attempt, “Pathetic!”

However, this child would not give in. With Butterfree on their back, the child was determined all the more to stop Lance and see their point on the relationship between humans and Pokemon. The child’s powers kicked into gear as the Pikachu next to them started sharing his memories to them,  _‘Pika!_

_‘These are... Pika’s memories!!’_ The child declared as an outpour of memories came from the Pikachu,  _‘Pika’s lost memories... are coming back...!?’_ The child could see why the Elite Four of the Kanto region wanted this Pikachu gone. Not just because he was a great trainer’s Pokemon but because he knew of their plans. PIka knew about the power generated when the badges came together on an amplifier. Pika knew of everything and their intentions.

The child looked up to see their opponent facing them with malicious intent to complete the plans intended for mankind, ‘ _It’s impossible to get rid of the energy! The only way to counter it—‘_ The child clenched their fists, ‘ _is to it with a power greater than the energy and blast it away! If we can blast the energy away from the badges...’_ Determination rose in their chest,  _‘we can stop Lance’s madness!!_ ’

The energy that the blond child needed came quickly up a thread that they had set up during the duration of the battle. Their eyes widened at the amount of energy filling the child’s body, ‘ _This power... the other Pokemon!’_ An idea came to mind on how to use this immense energy to defeat Lance once and for all, “Pika!”

“Pi!” Pika responded with determination, knowing what the child was planning.

‘ _I call upon the **power** of the **Viridian Forest**... give us the **power**!! The power of...’ _ The child quickly flew up higher than their opponent and pointed their finger at Lance.

_“ **MEGAVOLT!!!** ”_

An energy greater than thunder attacked Lance and his whole being. He couldn’t believe it! He hasn’t felt this helpless since... since... since...

That triggering moment in his life when he saw the absolute cruelty of what mankind can do to humans.

Lance tried to defend himself but it was just... “Too...” He managed to say, “Too much—!!” He tried to cry out and stand his ground but to no avail. He was quickly blasted away from Cerise Island, their battleground to only where Arceus knew.

And that was the end to the great battle that took place atop of Cerise Island.

...

A cool and crisp wind softly blew all throughout the Viridian Forest. This wind softly caressed the face of a fallen Pokemon trainer who was in the process of healing his Pokemon while he rested against the trunk of a tree. It felt inviting... and comforting.

Golden light faded away from the palm of his hands as he healed the last injuries on his Dragonite. Once that was finished, Lance rested his hand on top of his loyal Pokemon’s head. Even though his physical injuries remained, at least he could be at peace knowing his Pokemon were fully healed and peacefully resting.

The fallen trainer now focused on struggling against the pain that had been inflicted on him not so long ago. He could not believe the events that had transpired. Everything was falling in place! His plan to eliminate mankind was just at his fingertips! He would have been rid of the stupid humans had it not been for one child to foil his plans.

That child... Yellow.

He could not believe that pipsqueak defeated him, Lance of the Elite Four! Struggling to even move his arm, he felt that something more than just his body was inflicted with much pain.

His pride.

The pride of being the strongest Dragon trainer in all the lands of the Pokemon world. The pride of being the leader of the Elite four! More importantly, the pride of being a child blessed with the powers of Viridian.

Why had the forest stopped his plans from coming into fruition? Did humans not pollute this beautiful and lush place for their own selfish desires? Was he not also benefitting the forest by ridding the world of mankind?

A myriad of questions were engulfing his mind and yet there was not one answer he could think of to any of them.

Was he wrong in his quest to rid mankind?

Before Lance could further contemplate, he heard a rustle in the bushes not so far behind him. He was in no mood to deal with whoever would find him though he was also in no shape to try and battle whoever or whatever it is that could possibly ambush him.

“Whoever is there, you had better leave otherwise I’ll kill you...” Lance threatened out loud, struggling not to show any signs of him being severely wounded.

“I would say you’re in no condition to be making any threats, Lance...” Lance froze at the voice that replied to him. He knew that voice anywhere. He recognized it immediately as hate and anger quickly filled his heart.

Walking out of the bushes, the small child, who moments ago thwarted his plans to eliminate mankind, appeared before him.

Yellow de Viridian Grove.

Oh, how he wished he could wrap his hands around the child’s throat and just be rid of the kid once and for all. Lance could only glare at them.

Yellow’s eyes were filled with much sympathy for the man before them. Although their views on the relationship between people and Pokemon were different, they were very much similar in regards to their love for Pokemon.

“Why are you here?” Lance spat, trying his best to drive the child away.

“I was looking for you.” Yellow answered softly while keeping eye contact with him.

Why wouldn’t Yellow just go away? Lance figured that through all the trauma he put the child through, Yellow would have enough common sense not to approach him anymore. Heck, with all the death threats and close murder attempts, Lance was confident enough that Yellow would steer clear of him!

Was Yellow really that stupid?

“To rub it in my face that I was wrong and you were right?” Lance sneered, trying his best to answer the child as strong as he could without wincing at his physical injuries.

“I thought you might need some help.” Yellow coolly responded, showing no signs of hurt to his words as they kneeled before the dragon trainer.

This close proximity was... uncomfortable.

Lance tried to scoot away from the child but even slight movements made it hard for him to hold back showing any signs of him in pain, “Urgh...” He winced, “Just go away... I don’t need some brat’s help.” Lance sneered.

“No.” Yellow frowned and shot Lance a quick glare before turning their attention on his injuries, “By the look of it, you don’t have the energy to heal yourself otherwise you would be fine and on your way.” Yellow diagnosed before small hands reached out to Lance’s injuries.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lance questioned coldly as he jerked his body as far away as possible from the child’s reach.

“Hey!” Yellow exclaimed, “I’m trying to heal you!”

“Get the hell away from me!” Lance spat back, wincing at the pain from jerking his body away from them.

“I can’t!” Yellow argued back.

“And why the hell not?!” Lance grunted against all the pain he felt in his body.

“Because I did this to you!”

Lance stared at the child incredulously as he noticed tears forming in their eyes. What the hell was this child on? Why did the brat care so much about his wellbeing?

“...fine.” Yellow lifted their head up and stared at the man through tears, “Do what you want.” Lance grunted as he made no attempt to move away from the child.

Yellow stared at him a little, wondering if he was serious about it before they thought against asking if he was sure. The child reached out to the adult carefully and let their healing power flow through the palm of their hands and onto Lance’s injuries. Slowly but surely, Lance’s injuries started to close up and the pain in his body started to subside.

It was silent for a while as Yellow kept healing Lance’s injuries. Why would this child want to heal him? Did they have an ulterior motive once he was healed? Once healed, did the child have some sort of backup ready to ambush him and bring him in to custody?

Of course, that made sense. They could not have the Viridian hero bring back the villain of the story all bloodied up and near death. It would not make for a good story to tell the children, more importantly.

”Why are you doing this?” Lance finally broke through the silence as Yellow started healing his torso, “How are you so sure I won’t attack you once I’m healed up?”

Yellow softly smiled, “Because... deep down, I know you’re not truly evil.”

Not truly evil? Really? After all he had done?

“Moments ago, I tried to decimate our race. You don’t call that truly evil?” Lance scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

Yellow did not let that bother them as they continued healing him, “You did what you did because of your love for Pokemon.” They answered him, “Your intentions were not truly evil but you just went about it the wrong way.”

A building anger rose in the dragon trainer’s chest, “And just what is the right way? Your way has not yet saved all Pokemon from their suffering.” Lance sneered as the child moved on to his right arm.

“I can’t say for sure to be honest...” Yellow wore an apologetic smile at the adult. The way the child smiled somehow lowered the anger that was building in his chest, “I just know that... I can’t say for sure that I can save all Pokemon from the cruelty of what mankind can do but... if you look at the world, there are many kind people out there, especially those kind to Pokemon. You just have to meet the right ones.”

Lance stared at the child with a contemplative look. For a pipsqueak so young, they sure had a lot of wisdom and insight on the world. Of course, he was still angry at the child for foiling his plan. It would take a lot more for the child to convince him that his way of going about his love for Pokemon was wrong.

“Besides, I know that a lot of Pokemon would be sad without people coexisting with them.” Yellow thoughtfully added.

That was a new one.

“Humor me then,” Lance scoffed, “Why the hell would they be sad if their victimizers perished?”

The golden light emitting from Yellow’s hand quickly disappeared. Yellow took a step back from him and clenched their fists tightly, “Because not all Pokemon get abused! A lot of Pokemon’s best friends are people and I’m really sure that if you take them away, you would cause them sadness as well!” They shot back with small tears forming in their amber eyes.

The two trainers kept glaring at each other through the heated silence.

“Not all humans are as terrible as you think...” Yellow whispered as they hung their head, growing tired of keeping a glare with the stubborn dragon trainer.

Lance shook his head at the child’s insane response. Are they thinking in the right mind? He turned his head to his Dragonite, reminiscing of how he saved his Pokemon from the brink of death, “Prove it.”

Yellow looked up at him with sadness in their eyes. Ha, he knew it. That child could not prove that the human race was not so terrible. After all, the human race is filthy and disgusting.

“Red…” Yellow started with a slight blush on their face, “And Green and Blue!” They quickly added with a slight chuckle.

Lance rolled his eyes, “Of course you would list your friends…” He shook his head. Why would that convince him otherwise?

“What about me?”

A soft wind blew past the two trainers after Yellow asked him a question that stunned him. He turned his gaze towards the small child and could not help but notice the innocence on their face. What stunned him even more was his inability to shoot the brat a snarky answer.

Another period of silence passed between the two trainers before Yellow released a small sigh and went back to healing the dragon trainer. Lance could not understand why the kid still insists on healing him even though they are, technically, enemies. He refused to acknowledge Yellow’s question because he knew the answer deep down.

Yellow could feel it as well, Lance imagined. It was not long before Yellow started to heal the last cuts left on his face. He could see the sympathy the child had in their eyes. It wanted to make him kill the child but... there was a sense of innocence and naivety that made him feel hesitant in going forward with his thoughts. Plus, Lance was extremely tired, even though he was being healed up. He simply did not have the will to do anything at this time.

“All done.” Yellow finally spoke, breaking the silence between them. A great breath was let out by Lance as he watched Yellow walk away from him, “I should be going now... it’s getting pretty late.” The child softly smiled at him.

Lance kept a weary watch at the kid to make sure there would not be any sort of funny business, “You should before I change my mind and decide to destroy you right here and now.” He sneered as he crossed his arms.

Yellow frowned at him before they shook their head and released a sigh, “You...” The kid started, “You should really give the human race another chance. I’m sure you will find that not everyone is as cruel and terrible as the ones you have met.”

A few seconds passed before Lance gave his answer, “Sure.”

“Hopefully...” Yellow started, “the next time we meet again, we will be on the same side.” The child softly smiled at him.

Lance shot an incredulous stare at the kid, “And why would you hope for that?” He scoffed.

“Because...” Yellow brought their small hand over their heart, “I can feel what the forest feels…” The child’s smile remained on their face, “And it’s telling me that deep down… you’re good person.” Kneeling down, Yellow reached out to Lance and let their hand over the dragon trainer’s heart. A soft glow emitted from the palm of the young trainer, leaving Lance with a dumbstruck look on his face.

As soon as that moment came, it quickly went away as Yellow quickly ran off into the distance, leaving Lance in pure awe.

What was that... warm feeling deep in his chest?

 

_~*~_

_Prologue End_


	2. Penitence 001: Taedium

_“You should really give the human race another chance…”_

Those same words kept resounding in Lance’s head as he tried to sleep through the night. After the young trainer left, the dragon trainer, along with his Pokemon, found some shelter in a cave deep in the Viridian Forest. He knew he was guided there by the wonders of the forest; otherwise, he would have found himself sleeping in plain sight against that tree.

_Why should he? Humans were…_

Lance stirred and woke up once more, sweat pouring from his forehead. Small puffs of air came out of the dragon trainer’s mouth as he tried to calm himself down. Eventually, he brought his hand to his face to try and calm himself.

What in Arceus’ name did that child do to him?

That warm sensation budding in his chest was unlike anything he has ever felt in his twenty years of living. Sure, he’s felt numerous emotions. That was in the case of being human. There was no escape from that; however, this feeling... whatever that blasted child did when they used their power on his chest, his heart felt something long forgotten. He could not describe it.

Of course, that is not to say Lance would ignore it. No, he had to know what it was that the child did. The child would have no intentions trying to assassinate him; otherwise, they would have done so when he was extremely vulnerable, especially while good amounts of blood poured out of his wounds.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Startled, Lance broke away from his thoughts and took out his PokeGear from his back pocket. Funny, he would have thought it stopped working when that kid hit him with that Megavolt. Oh well, the forest is too merciful to him.

Lance read the name of the person who was trying to get in contact with him.

_(411)3879-4501_

_Lorelei_

Lorelei, the ice specialist of the Kanto Elite 4 or, rather, presumably ex-member now from the looks of it. Lance kept staring at the beeping screen, contemplating on whether to answer or not. He was still pretty tired and... ah, well, looks like he just missed the call.

In all honesty, was he even ready to face anyone at this time? He did just lose to a pipsqueak who, judging from his battles with the kid, barely started Pokemon battling. It would be humiliating, especially with his pride as the  _leader_ , well,  _ex-_ leader, of the Kanto Elite 4, for him to face any of his team members.

However... Lance never liked any of them. Maybe Lorelei was an exception, but that’s it.

Agatha. She was just a terrible person all around but she did share the same passion of hate against humanity; though, her intention to rid humanity still remained a mystery to him and the rest of the Kanto Elite 4. She could have been the leader of the Kanto Elite 4 but she chose against it and allowed for Lance to take charge. He did not complain against her decision but he was curious as to why.

Perhaps, if things did not go her way, she could always blame it on him? It seemed like it, especially with her mysterious and sudden disappearance. She never informed anyone where she would be going or what her true intentions were with the elimination of humanity. It just seemed she was just a grumpy old hag. Not that he cared for her.

Then there’s Bruno. Lance did almost feel some sympathy towards him because he did not consent to these plans.  _Almost._

Last, there was Lorelei. Lance was never certain if he did hate her or felt that she a human who truly felt compassion towards Pokemon. Albeit, Agatha did recruit her not only because of the powerful potential she saw but because she had a similar background to the young dragon trainer.

Lance never did go into any details of Lorelei’s past or Agatha’s. They did not ask about his in return as well. He just needed their support to accomplish his plan in the eradication of the human race.

As Lorelei’s name faded from his receiver, Lance could see there were a couple of calls made to it moments before he found the cave he was in. There were twenty received and missed calls in total all from Lorelei.

What was that woman thinking?

Surely, she had to understand that using the PokeGear would have to be limited so as to not be traced by the people now on the search for them. Surely, she would be smart enough to know that. Surely, just surely she should know...

Lance shook his head. What an undependable woman. He stared at his PokeGear, contemplating whether or not he really needed it. Of course, he answered his own questions. There would be those trying to track him down. Only Arceus knew what would happen if he did get caught.

He  _is_ a fugitive now.

Lance knew the repercussions of the plan if things did not fall into place. Of course he knew that the eradication of mankind is a grave sin, but he figured that the reward of eliminating his own species would be just what he wanted. Well, he would not experience that as he is hiding out in a cave deep in the Viridian Forest.

Dropping the PokeGear on the ground, Lance proceeded to crush the device under his boot. He could not have anyone track him down. He had to get away from the Kanto region as soon as possible without getting spotted. Knowing that the young child knew his whereabouts, Lance had to flee.

Calling the Pokemon one by one into their Ultra balls with the exception of Dragonite, Lance quickly clasped his cape around his shoulders. He looked around the cave and made sure there would be no traces of him to be found. With that, he climbed onto the back of his most trusted companion and without another word, silently left the Viridian Forest.

_“Hopefully... the next time we meet again, we will be fighting on the same side...”_

...

Darkness still shrouded the time of morning as Lance made his way over the border of Kanto to Johto. His father’s homeland. The land he despised so much and yet found himself hiding for the time being.

How ironic.

Checking the surroundings, Lance made sure they were swift and quiet as they swiftly traveled through the dark morning sky. Even without the PokeGear, Lance knew the exact hour just by looking up at the sky and observing the stars above. So, the young dragon trainer did not need any assistance from modern technology. If anything, Lance needed it to communicate with the members of the Kanto Elite 4. Since they disbanded, there’s no use for it anymore.

Silence filled the night sky as Lance traveled through the skies of Johto. This did not bother him. In fact, the young dragon trainer mused to himself, figuring that he may need this silence to himself.

Maybe the silence was needed to help the villain reform his evil ways?

Ha! Lance knew that he was right. Humans were despicable no matter what anyone says. He knew that he could only be seen as the bad guy because the humans would not like the very idea of being eradicated.

Who would anyways?

Maybe Lance did go a bit insane. Just hearing his plan of taking out the entire human race over and over in his head sounds very... far off. Sure, it might have sounded really cool and daring as a child; however, the more he pondered on this, the more he felt stupid for coming up with something that... extreme.

Of course, he knew he was not wrong in saving Pokemon from the cruelty of mankind. Maybe the dumb kid was right. Maybe he was a little misguided in his solution to give Pokemon better lives.

Or maybe whatever the little brat did to his chest a few hours ago was making him think like this.

“I must be out of my mind...” Lance murmured under his breath. That pipsqueak’s words were ringing inside his head and he could not get them out. It was the reason why he could not sleep even through just one hour!

Dragonite’s antennae perked up at the voice of his master. Lance noticed and shook his head while he placed the palm of his hand on his Pokemon’s head. The dragon trainer knew why Dragonite was getting worried.

_‘Do not fret...’_ Lance reassured the flying Pokemon,  _‘Let’s find us a place to hide out for the time being...’_ He ordered and off they flew into the large mountains of Johto.

As they traveled in the dark morning sky, Lance could not shake the feeling that they were being followed.

...

Eventually, Lance arrived in front of a giant cave entrance. He could sense the aura of the place. It was more than perfect. As the young dragon trainer took in the surroundings, he felt that the Pokemon in the area were extremely powerful. It was a great place to stay in hiding for the time being. The wild Pokemon would deter any amateur trainers from where he planned to hide. As well, this area was deep in the mountains and only extremely powerful trainers like himself could survive out here.

Although... Lance did not like the idea of hiding from the world. Sure, it was nice to be away from the cruelty of mankind. However, he felt that he was chased here like a Rattata being forced to hide from its predators.

Pinching the bridge between his eyes, Lance made his way into the cave’s large entrance. This was where he was going to stay for the time being. It would be lonely. There would be no one to talk to but his Pokemon as well as the wild ones that inhabited the place. It may drain him of his sanity or not. It may give him the solitude and thinking he needs after his battle on Cerise Island.

This time to himself... without human interaction would help him see if he was truly right or if that child was right. Staying away from the human world would bring his mind to peace. Humanity is just too cruel one way or another, whether it was their relationship to Pokemon or even to each other.

Humanity was simply tainted, plain and simple. Lance needed to get away from the world to recuperate his thoughts. Perhaps he stayed in the human world too long and that’s what made him go through with his plans to eradicate humanity altogether.

However, Lance needed to make sure that he would not be found. He could not afford to have anyone following him; otherwise, it would only cause unnecessary trouble. Sure, he could take this trouble on. He is a powerful dragon trainer who did claim a seat in the Kanto Elite 4.

But...

It was not worth the risk. Lance was too tired to remain with the humans for too long. He knew that deep down, the child did have a point. Although, he had too much pride to admit that right now. This time to himself... it may be just what he needed to see the rights and wrongs of his thinking.

Lance could feel it. The presence of something...  _someone_ following him. He had to admit. Whoever was trailing him, they had been doing a good job; however, it was not that good if Lance could sense it from quite a distance away.

Whoever is following him, Lance decided... needs to be  _eliminated_ .

Options ran through his mind as he came to this conclusion. Sure, it could be the small child Yellow following but... what other motive would they have in tracking him down? If anything, Yellow could have dragged him to the authorities given that chance back in the Viridian Forest. Heck, Yellow could have brought the authorities with them to the Viridian Forest.

It could not be Lorelei. Lorelei was trying to get in contact with him and immediately Lance destroyed that infernal device so that she would not be able to track him down. In all instances, Lorelei would just give up on the matter altogether. If anything, she would be in hiding herself too. There would be no benefit for her if she wanted to track Lance down and hide out with him. She always had her home in the Sevii Islands. It would be beneficial for both of them if hid alone, separately. It would make it much harder for authorities to find them that way.

Clair. Could it be Clair? Clair, his cousin from Blackthorn City and the city gym leader. She had the great capabilities of tracking anyone down if she wanted to. That determination and fierce will is what got her the gym leader position of Blackthorn City after all. However, even she could not track Lance no matter how hard she tried.  Lance knew her all too well. He knew where her weaknesses and strengths lie. One of them was her inability to keep tabs on him. Lance knew how to evade her and for her, Mt. Silver would be one of the last places she would check. Heck, Clair may be searching Kanto for the time being. Once she realizes he is not there anymore, she will move to Johto and by that time, Lance would be gone.

Who else could it be? Lance concluded that it would have to be someone he did not know but that person knew him. That person knew what he had done regarding the Cerise Island incident. As well, this person most likely had a connection to the PokeDex holders if they were trailing him. This was the only deduction he could make. The news of the Cerise Island incident has yet to reach the public.

As well, this person most likely wanted something from him. What could it be?

As much as that question slightly intrigued the young dragon trainer, Lance did not have the time to deal with it. He wanted that alone time. Getting away from mankind is what he needs right now. He needed to figure out his own path from here on out. He did not need to be pestered by the humans.

With that settled, Lance looked to the mountains outstretched before him, “Hyper beam.” Once the order left his lips, Dragonite’s hyper beam shot towards the general direction Lance was facing. It was a mere seconds before that general direction blew up into flames and falling debris.

The presence of being followed disappeared made Lance smirk. Now that that was out of the way, the dragon trainer turned back to the entrance of the cave entrance. Even though for the time being there’s no one following him, Lance made sure to seal the entrance of the cave by having Dragonite use Rock Slide once he was inside the cave.

Darkness quickly engulfed the young dragon trainer and his Pokemon as soon as the rocks sealed up the cave entrance. This did not bother him nor his Pokemon. The darkness felt... inviting. Away from the light of the world that blinded him into his hatred of humanity.

It had been a while for Lance to train in an environment such as this. He could remember his training at Blackthorn City when he was with the Dragon Clan. For him, it was harsh, especially at an age of ten. However, survival was key if he were to hide from the world for a while.

Lance released one of his Pokemon from their ball, “Dragonair, I need you to create for me a small light.”

The orb on Dragonair’s neck emitted a soft glow for its trainer. Lance nodded in thanks to his Pokemon before advancing further into the cave. Dragonair stayed in the front to guide its trainer while Dragonite watched the back in case there may be any sneak attacks from the wild Pokemon of the cave.

Through some silent wandering, Lance came across an injured Pokemon on the ground before him. He wore a quizzical look at the condition of the green Pokemon. It took the young dragon trainer a little bit to register the species of Pokemon that lay before him.

Lance released a soft sigh as he knelt before the Pokemon. As bitter as he was about his earlier defeat, Lance’s love for Pokemon still reigned overall. He could see that there were burn marks on the Larvitar’s rock body. Soft gold light emitted from the palm of Lance’s hands and shone on the injured Pokemon.

During the healing process, Lance accidentally stumbled on the Pokemon’s memories. It was one of the effects that happens while healing a Pokemon, even when the healer does not have any intention of revealing those memories.

Abuse. 

Pain. 

Bitterness. 

Anger.

Those were the emotions contained in the memories Lance was reading. He could see a young man around his late teens abusing the Pokemon. Lance could only assume that this trainer abandoned this Larvitar. He could see how much the abuse affected the Pokemon not just physically but especially mentally.

_“You’re weak...! You’ll never be like my other better and stronger Pokemon! Why don’t you evolve already?! You’re so tiny and frail, you can’t even stand up against a Magikarp...!”_

Lance started to grit his teeth the more Larvitar’s memories poured into his head. This was the very reason why he hated humanity! While he did want to get away from the world, these memories did not help in giving him the solitude he needed.

Although...

Maybe there was a reason why Lance met this particular Larvitar. He could not answer why he met this one but it did reaffirm one thing... his deep hatred against humanity. Why was that child so adamant about protecting humanity? What good had they done? If there were only a few in the world who were truly good to Pokemon, then why not get rid of the majority who just see Pokemon as tools?

What gave humanity the right to live?

The golden light that emitted from the dragon trainer’s palms slowly faded away. Larvitar looked up at Lance with a sincere look of thankfulness. Lance could see that there was also a hint of fear towards him, most likely because of the Larvitar’s abusive past with its ex-trainer.

_Humans are truly..._

“Don’t worry... I won’t harm you...” Lance chided, “If you would like, you may accompany me with the rest of my team for protection. Like you, I am also on the run.”

Larvitar looked up at Lance with a hint of worry but then it shook it off. The Pokemon nodded in agreement which led to Dragonite pulling the smaller Pokemon on top of its head.

Watching a small friendship form between Larvitar and Dragonite, Lance could not help but smile to himself. Pokemon were truly interesting creatures. He loved them dearly. Nothing else could compare to how he felt towards Pokemon in general. That was when he felt the hatred in his heart grow even more.

Lance then nodded his Dragonair to lead them deeper in the cave. His thoughts on humanity still remained the same. That child was wrong. Foolish even. Maybe one day when they meet again, Lance would show the brat how cruel humanity can be. If they were alike, then Lance could even chide the child onto his side. Because after all, humans are...

_...disgusting._

_-*-_

_TBC_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I decided to upload the first chapter with the prologue so that at least we can see Lance’s journey start off even if on a very rocky start! 
> 
> * If you believe Lance is OOC that was not my intention. In my eyes, I honestly view Lance as someone with a very twisted sense of self-righteousness. He believes he’s always right about everything and I hope as his journey progresses, we’ll be able to see why his thought process is such. 
> 
> * I don’t want to give out so much away but I will say that I do intend to follow on Lance’s journey. We will be seeing the other characters soon enough but for now, it’ll be Lance and solitude. I do intend to tie his story with the main events that happen in the manga so keep a lookout for that!
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read and if you have any comments, reviews, or even constructive criticism I’ll be glad to hear them all!
> 
> \- Pochi


	3. Penitence 002: Maledictio

_"It’s true that humans have done selfish things, taking away Pokemon homelands, stripping them of their food supply... I’ve seen the results of that on my journey!!”_

Then why are you on their side?

_"_ _But does that give you the right to decimate the human race? Does that give you the right to destroy cities?! Pokemon aren’t **tools** for killing!!”_

Shut up...

_"_ _Even this battle of yours... has hurt not just humans, but Pokemon as well!”_

Be silent...

_“I will **not** be silent! I hate fighting... I’m truly sad when any Pokemon are injured... even my opponent’s!”_

Why will you not  **shut up** ?

_“You have incredible power!! Why do you use it for destruction?! Why do you use it for **evil**?!”_

Arrogant little brat... I order you to...

_“If you care for Pokemon with a kind and gentle heart, then they’ll always be your friends...”_

_..._

_“Aren’t Pokemon **your** friends too!?”_

“ **_SHUT UP!!!!_ ** ” Lance shouted as he woke up with sweat all over his body. He could not help it. His battle against Yellow had been on his mind ever since his defeat.

These nightmares, if one could call them that, were haunting Lance for a month since his arrival at Mt. Silver. The young trainer found himself very distracted by these very words during his battle with the pipsqueak. Why had the brat’s words affected so much? If he were right, then he shouldn’t be worrying or stressing out like this.

Was Yellow right about everything?

No. Lance would not admit to it. He couldn’t. Lance knew for himself that humanity is disgusting. He knew the real world. He’s lived longer than that brat. He knew how cruel humanity can be, especially to Pokemon.

Then why...?  _Why_ was he so disturbed by these words?

Lance’s Pokemon – Dragonite, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Dragonair, Dragonair – and Larvitar all looked at Lance with worry written over their faces. They knew what the young dragon trainer was going through. All except for Larvitar could feel that the battle had affected their beloved trainer deeply.

If anyone were to ask the Pokemon, they would tell them that during the month Lance has not been himself. During their training sessions, Lance would always be off, shouting words of harsh silence to try and stop the voice from preaching in his mind. Of course, the voice never stopped. Lance constantly heard the voice in his head and it worried his Pokemon deeply. No amount of meditation or sleep is able to help him overcome these haunting words.

Why was he so disturbed?

Slamming his right fist into the wall, the Pokemon approached him with caution. Lance did not care if that was stupid and careless. His fist bled a little from the rough impact but even the pain he felt did not take his mind off of the words of the child. At this point, he felt that he was going insane.

This silence... this time away from the human world was supposed to help him; however, it’s caused him more grief and stress. No one but his Pokemon were around to disturb him. Lance figured that this time would help him meditate and garner the peace he needed within himself but...

That was the exact opposite. Ultimately, Lance thought this time to himself would help him reflect on what things went wrong with his plan so that the next time, he could execute it flawlessly, which included getting rid of the pipsqueak.

_“Aren’t Pokemon **your** friends too!?”_

**“Rrr... get out of my head** !” Lance shouted at the top of his lungs. Instead of the usual anger, this shout was different than the ones from the past month at Mt. Silver. His shouts were filled with... desperation. Although it sounded pure anger and hatred, this particular shout was more or less filled with desperation.

Lance could feel it. He was almost there. The amount of turmoil and stress the child’s words placed on him was...  _agonizing_ , to say the least.

Why won’t Yellow’s words  **_go away_ ** ?

...was the brat right?

Facing this realization was hard for the dragon trainer to accept. If there was something he did not like, it was being proven  **_wrong_ ** _._ For dragon trainers in general, all of them had one thing in common. It was common knowledge amongst any trainer in the Pokemon world.

**_Pride_ ** .

Only those who are able to become truly humble – or as close to humble as possible – were true dragon  _masters_ . It was something Lance could admit he lacked. It was also the one thing he was sure he could never fully achieve. Even when he was a child, he had so much pride just being a child with the blessed powers of the Viridian Forest.

So, for someone as prideful as Lance to admit that someone was right, especially one whom he considers as an enemy was very difficult for him to accept. He  _especially_ did not want to be proven wrong by a small child! They were so much younger than him! Lance has lived longer so he assumed that life experiences and knowledge would have proven to the child that his solution to the cruelty of humanity would be right!

“Dammit...” Lance cursed under his breath as he slowly brought his fist away from the wall. He stared at his wounded hand. The physical pain would subside but the mental pain, Lance felt, would stay for a while.

_“Aren’t Pokemon **your** friends too?!”_

"Of course they are...” Lance grunted under his breath before he covered his face with his hand.

Why did that brat question him on that? Why did that trainer feel the need to even question his love for Pokemon?

More importantly...

Why was it hard for Lance to answer that question?

“They  **_are_ ** my friends...” The dragon trainer repeated over and over again to himself. It was one of those extremely rare moments for Lance to feel so... helpless and weak. Yellow’s questions kept resonating in his head over and over again while he kept answering back over and over.

It was truly a sad sight for his Pokemon to behold. They mostly knew Lance as someone very strong willed and tough. Times when he felt pathetic and weak made them feel the same.

Out of the group of Pokemon, Larvitar carefully approached he dragon trainer. The other Pokemon looked at Larvitar with disbelief and question. They knew when not to approach Lance and this was one of them.

Lance growled to himself and, without thinking or looking, he hit whatever it was that touched him. At first, the dragon trainer believed it to be some pebbles that fell on top of legs. However, once he saw what he hit, immediate regret and disgust filled his insides.

Lance could see the shocked look on Larvitar’s face. It was only a month ago this Larvitar came under his care to heal from the emotional and physical abuse of its ex-trainer. Considering the weight of his actions, Lance knew exactly what the Larvitar was thinking.

_Abuse_ .

Immediate and burning flashbacks went through the Larvitar’s mind at the moment it was smacked by the young dragon trainer. Larvitar looked up at Lance with great disbelief in its eyes. How could he? He promised him protection! He  **_promised_ ** there would be no harm done upon it!

“Larvitar... I...” Lance’s voice trembled. It was because he could not believe it himself. He could not believe that he  **_harmed_ ** this Pokemon out of his own emotional turmoil!

Quickly, Larvitar fled from the group and through the cracks of the cave wall. While Lance’s Pokemon tried to go after it, Larvitar swiftly dug into the soil of the mountain, allowing its escape to be a success.

Lance, on the other hand, stayed in his position. He could only stare with shock written all over his face at the wrong he had done. His hands were trembling. Why did he do that? What compelled him to  _hit_ Larvitar?

Did he, Lance, just  **_abuse_ ** a Pokemon?

Why...?  _Why...?! **WHY?!**_

_“Aren’t Pokemon **your** friends too?!”_

Voices swirled inside the young dragon trainer’s head as his Pokemon looked at him with much worry. This was something that they... expected once they saw Larvitar approach the heated trainer. They knew better than to approach Lance when he lost his cool. If they did not watch out, they would have gotten hurt as well.

It all stemmed from Lance’s childhood. Of course, Lance was not fully aware of this. During his training at the Dragons’ Den, Lance almost always smacked anything that dare come near him if he was heated. At one moment, even Dragonite, who had been a Dragonair at the time, nearly got hurt when it tried to console its master. Lance never realized this but it left a memory inside Dragonite’s head. It was most likely only now that Lance realized his temper, his  _emotions_ , got the better of him.

“They are…” Lance growled to himself, “my friends…” He spoke in a broken voice. This was it. His breaking point.

He just  _abused_ a Pokemon.

Could he even call himself the savior of Pokemon anymore? Did he even have the right to live anymore because of what he had done?

Only a month ago did he try to eliminate the human race because of their treatment of Pokemon. Now… he was no different.

Damn humans… so flawed in every aspect. Why were they even in existence?

Pokemon were so… flawless. Why wasn’t he, Lance, born as one? Why was he born as a human? More importantly…

Why was he born at all?

Lance hung his head down and stared at the palms of his hands. The hands that harmed a Pokemon… the hands that nearly caused the near extinction of the human race… What good were they? What was his purpose?

_“You have incredible power!! Why do you use it for destruction?! Why do you use it for **evil**?!”_

Evil? Is what he did truly evil?

_“Your intentions were not truly evil but you just went about it the wrong way.”_

Even with that brat not here, Lance could still feel their presence. It is impossible for that child to follow him all the way out here. No. Their physical presence was not here; however, Yellow was here in a different sense and that disturbed Lance above all else.

_“You have incredible power!!”_

Why was he granted such magnificent power anyways?

Lance could have sworn he was gifted these gifts because his task was to eliminate mankind off the face of the planet. He deduced that much because his powers benefitted Pokemon and not humans. Of course, he could have used it for man; but, Lance never went that route. He had decided he would  _never_ go down the path of helping his own filthy race.

Maybe he  _abused_ his powers in his own selfish desires.

What if his powers were not meant to destroy mankind? Why him of all people?

Lance felt himself slump against the rocky wall behind him. All of the post stress of his battle with that damned brat really got to him. He was starting to sweat profusely from that child’s words and more importantly, the pain he inflicted on Larvitar.

_“Pokemon aren’t **tools** for killing!!”_

“Ha…” Lance chuckled to himself in a shaky tone. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to calm himself down. This entire month of being at Mt. Silver has not helped him one bit. It more or less has caused him to go a little insane.

Did he really use his Pokemon as nothing but  **_tools_ ** ?

If that was the case, then not only did he abuse a Pokemon just now… he abused Pokemon from these past few years. What’s even worse is that it includes  **_his_ ** Pokemon.

Did he really  **_abuse_ ** his own Pokemon?

It was a realization Lance was starting to make. Was it his humanity that made him unconsciously do that? Is it because he’s  **_human_ ** he did what he did?

_“Aren’t Pokemon **your** friends too?!”_

Lance quickly snapped his head up and towards his Pokemon. They were all watching him in the corner of the room. The young dragon trainer could see the worry in their eyes. He could also see something else… as well as  _feel_ what they were feeling.

Why do they feel fear? Is it because of what he had done to the Larvitar? Did they not know that he did not mean to harm it? Why would they feel this way?

A small tear drop formed at the corner of Lance’s eye. Dammit… why did he feel so… weak?

_“If you care for Pokemon with a kind and gentle heart, then they’ll always be your friends...”_

Lance could hear the soft whispers of Yellow’s words echo in his head. Did they not know how much he cares for Pokemon, especially when they are his Pokemon? Did he not have that kind and gentle heart towards them? Aren’t they his friends most of all?

Did… did he not show it enough?

Once that question entered his mind, Lance felt his heart slow down to a normal rate. The raging questions and voices inside his head started to calm down one after the other.

Now… it was only his voice.

Did he really not show his affection towards his own Pokemon?

Lance slowly got up and approached his Pokemon. His Pokemon watched him with worry before they spread out so that they can fully surround their beloved master. He drew in a deep breath and, shakily, he spoke two words only his Pokemon could hear.

“ _I’m sorry…”_

Those two words hit home for the Pokemon surrounding the young dragon trainer. For them, they had felt their heart breaking for so long. They knew of their trainer’s heart. They knew he did care but… his actions spoke otherwise.

“I…” Lance started, “I know that for these past couple of years I have pushed you all past your capabilities.” He could see flashbacks of their preparation to exterminate mankind, “For that… I am no different than the humans who mistreat and harm their Pokemon. I am no different than any abuser out there…” His voice started to get shaky while his hands started to tremble as he spoke these words.

“I… I treated all of you horribly…ignored you even…” He whispered, trying to keep his composure at the same time, “I…” Lance started once more before he cleared his throat, “Because of what I’ve done, if you don’t accept my apology, then you can leave. I’ll understand.” He stated firmly as he looked at the Pokemon before him.

What would they choose? Were they really his friends? A better question would be…

Was he considered  _their_ friends?

Silence passed and it felt agonizing every second that passed that Lance did not get a response from his Pokemon. Eventually, Dragonite and Gyarados came up to him and nudged at their trainer lovingly. It did not take long before the other Pokemon followed their lead and embraced their trainer.

_‘It’s ok…’_

_‘Thank you Lance…’_

_‘We love you too…’_

Releasing a soft sigh, Lance felt a smile form on his face. Never in this past month or even past couple of years has he felt his heart lighten up. It had always been so… cold and distant. A flood of warm emotions long forgotten started to enter his body…

…and he  _liked_ it.

Is this what it meant to be human?

When was the last time he felt such warm feelings? Lance closed his eyes and started to silently ponder. When…?

…

…

Ah… at that time… when everything was free and innocent… when everything was  _simpler_ … his  _fondest_ memory.

How could he forget?

Lance shook away from his thoughts and refocused his attention back on his Pokemon, “Thank you for staying…” He whispered with full gratitude in his voice, “…my friends.”

_“…deep down… you’re good person.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was a very challenging and hard chapter to write I’ll say. I hope this does not seem too quick with Lance starting to see the errors of his ways. I would take it a little slower had it not been in the manga Lance had realized one of his biggest mistakes from Yellow when he first met with Silver. 
> 
> * Adding to my views on Lance, I would say he is a natural and talented genius. This leads to what I see as his greatest weakness: his pride. He also has a very cynical outlook on life and overconfidence in his decisions because he feels he is never wrong. Albeit, this major pride is balanced with his reflective nature as well as being… human.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> \- Pochi

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi guys! So... this is just setting everything up for the story to come. I already had this story played out in my head so everything was already planned from the beginning to the end. I had someone read this and I would like to disclaim that I did not mean to take ideas or any of the sort. This story was planned and written during my time at college (specifically four years ago I had the basic ideas of this story). I am in the process of fleshing out my basic outline into meaningful chapters
> 
> Now some key points:
> 
> * This story FOCUSES on Lance as a character. I would like to delve into his character development from the Yellow Arc all the way to the HGSS arc and onwards.
> 
> * Lance does NOT see Yellow in any special kind of way. This is made clear through the use of pronouns and how he sees Yellow. You can see that Lance disregards her actual gender and refers to Yellow as agender.
> 
> Thank you guys for taking the time to read this and please let me know what you think! I encourage constructive criticism as well!


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